reader’s choice: what should nikki read next?

The time has come. I am reading another big fat crazy (hi, Dune) that’s going to take a minute. Maybe it will be so non-stop fuck-yeah that I won’t be (occasionally) mentally cheating on it with every other book on my shelf… Or maybe it is a good time to do another reader’s poll. You decide! What should Nikki read next?

There are four books in the running. Vote in the comments. I will be watching and tallying as you do with bated breath.

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

The MaddAddam trilogy is now complete, and it is time I started at the beginning and read through this post-apocalyptic classic for 1000 Ways to End the World. I have already read and enjoyed The Year of the Flood, and I hear tell I’ll like this one even more.

Native Tongue by Suzette Haden Elgin

Hey look, a choice between Margaret Atwood, and fiction that has often been compared to Margaret Atwood’s work. And what a weird cover, right? Well, whatever that cover bodes, Native Tongue is said to be full of feminism, and language geekery, and impending revolution. Oo la la.

The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey

Alien apocalypse! Reading this book will both give me new fodder for 1000 Ways to End the World and give me an author whose name starts with Y for that stupid alphabet challenge I was really into at the beginning of the year and now am ignoring. I know Erika liked it, and I know there are aliens, and I know that this book has been on my to-read shelf for over two years.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Erika also loved this book. So, I hear, did just about everyone who has ever touched it. This dystopian (ish?) young adult novel is about a town where everybody can hear everybody else’s thoughts. I’ve been told the narrative voice is amazing. I can’t wait to read it. But should I read it right now?

TIME TO VOTE

The last time we played this game, you decided that I should read City of Stairs next, and it was the best choice you could have made. Keep up the good work. Remember that whatever you pick is going to be following Dune. Vote in the comments. Cheer me on to glory.

Nicolette Stewart is a writer, editor, and narrative designer based in Frankfurt, Germany. She is the author of The Hunt Frankfurt, and her work can be found in Hunt: Showdown, Robinson: The Journey, TOR Online, Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter, New Escapologist, and Mama Liberada. She currently writes full time for video game developer and publisher Crytek.

I think I’m going to go with the majority so far and say Atwood. I’m afraid to admit that I’ve never read Atwood. The idea behind The Handmaid’s Tale frightens me, so I’ve always stayed away from her, though I need to remedy that. I’m curious to hear what you think about Oryx & Crake.
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As for that Elgin cover… holy moly. Is that the one you thought I would pick?
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… okay, I just read the synopsis for Native Tongue and it sounds wild. I would probably read that one, too, though the SF Encyclopedia doesn’t give Elgin much support.

Ha! Nikki is wrong again! I did actually think you would pick Elgin because of its vintage factor and feminist factor and I suspected that it might be somewhere on one of your lists. That cover there is fucking awful isn’t it? But the actual insides sound pretty awesome, so, we’ll see. If you’re not voting on it, I kind of doubt anyone will. Unless Chris does for vintage factor, or maybe he’s already read it. We shall see…

I’m going to have to go with the Atwood as well, not only is it on my TBR list but I’m not familiar enough with Elgin to be able to make a recommendation. Also, its cover is hideous. And it’s hard to go wrong with Atwood…

Her nonfiction book In Other Worlds was actually my first Atwood. Then Year of the Flood, then Handmaid’s Tale. All very good. I quite enjoyed the nonfiction, though she does get a bit silly about calling her work science fiction.

“On BBC Breakfast she explained that science fiction, as opposed to what she herself wrote, was ‘talking squids in outer space.’ The latter phrase particularly rankled advocates of science fiction and frequently recurs when her writing is discussed.” Just sayin’.

Yeah! Well since it looks like Atwood is probably going to win (though the vote stays open until I actually finish Dune), I might slot this in as to read after Oryx and Crake then. I’m really excited for it. But I’m really excited for all of these.

Oryx and Crake: 8
Native Tongue: 0
The Fifth Wave: 0
The Knife of Never Letting Go: 2
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I guess we’re still looking at a landslide win here…I honestly did not expect things to tip so drastically to Atwood’s favor. I guess as the queen of fucking everything, there are few authors who can compete…

I’ll jump in here for The 5th Wave. Tore through it this week, enjoyable read with some philosophic notes regarding what makes Humanity human. Oryx and Crake is also a great choice, took me a bit to get in to (more so than The Handmaid’s Tale) but once you become invested in the characters it’s a depressingly great Atwood novel.

Oryx and Crake: 8
Native Tongue: 0
The Fifth Wave: 1
The Knife of Never Letting Go: 3
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Yeah! Some votes for something other than Atwood to mix things up! Still reading Dune, so there’s still more time to get yer word in…

NATIVE TONGUE JUST GOT A VOTE FROM SOMEONE ON TWITTER (Paige, so I don’t accidentally count it twice). That makes me feel better about disadvantaging it with that cover.
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Oryx and Crake: 8
Native Tongue: 1
The Fifth Wave: 1
The Knife of Never Letting Go: 4

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